


Welcome to the Hellmouth, we've got fun and games

by andtheyfightcrime



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Comics 2019)
Genre: BOOM! Buffy the Vampire Slayer Comics, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21715879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andtheyfightcrime/pseuds/andtheyfightcrime
Summary: Inspired by the events of Boom! Studio's crossover between Buffy and Angel reboot comics (2019), namely the Hellmouth miniseries. Non-canon compliant, but takes place during the Hellmouth timeline.Scoobies 2019 quickly figure out something is wrong in Sunnydale, meanwhile, Buffy and Angel need to learn how to work with each other, and quick.
Kudos: 3





	Welcome to the Hellmouth, we've got fun and games

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my [tumblr](https://ifeveristoday.tumblr.com/post/188142066753/almost-1000-words-of-boomverse-flashfic), but spiffed up a little bit with some extra sentences for the archive.
> 
> Jordie Bellaire's reboot of Buffy for Boom! Studios has been a joy to read and dissect and I'm fandom trash for it. For people new to the Boom! verse: Willow's been gay since the beginning, her girlfriend is named Rose Martinez, Xander was turned by Spike and Dru but Willow gave him half her soul and now he's half a vampire, which means he can still go out in daylight and eat food, but now with additional blood additives. Does it sound wanky as hell? You gotta read before you judge. Robin Wood is the same age as the OG Scoobies and Buffy and Angel don't know each other.

“So what are we going to do?” Cordelia crosses her arms and glares at them all. “Just stay in the library and wait for the weird things to kill us?”

“Vampires,” Xander says loudly. “You can just say vampires. Or demons.”

“Or hell beasts, oh my,” Rose says. She shrugs when everyone stares. “What? You were all thinking it.”

“I wasn’t, but that was funny,” Robin says. He scoots off the table and crosses over to the double doors. “Look, I know Mr. Giles and Ms. Calendar told us to stay put, but they’ve been gone for an hour now. I think we should look for them.”

Xander growls, his face shifting slightly before he shakes it in frustration. “You saw what’s out there. We don’t have enough firepower. Even with my…abilities, we can’t just take them on one by one.”

“But we’re not,” Robin says. “Strength in numbers, remember? And you being half-vamp and Witchy girl over there – “he jerks his head toward an exhausted Willow, “we can take them out if we pool our strengths.”

“I’d feel better if we had weapons though,” Cordelia says. “Like, a nice heavy bat. Or twenty.”

“We do,” Willow mumbles, finally lifting her head. Her eyes are her natural color again, the irises their normal size. “There’s a weapons trunk in Giles’s office, and I’ve got the keys to the training room. There are more weapons there.”

“Then let’s get them,” Robin says. “We can split up in two cars – Cordelia can take Willow and Xander, and Rose can ride with me.”

“I’m not driving Harris,” Cordelia protests just as Willow looks at Rose. Rose averts her eyes and walks over to Robin. “I’m fine with riding with you.”

Xander rolls his eyes. “Get over it, Queen C. I’m not going to mess up your upholstery or whatever.” He grabs her by the arm and pulls her out of the room.

Willow lingers, her gaze wounded. “Rose?”

“I’m going with Robin,” Rose says. “You can ride with Cordelia.”

Willow flinches. “Okay,” she whispers.

She walks out, her head down.

“Ouch,” Robin says. “You two have a fight?”

“I don’t like being lied to,” Rose says shortly. “On top of the apparent apocalypse, I just found out my girlfriend has this whole other life she didn’t bother filling me in on. I thought we told each other everything.”

She fixes him with a look. “But Willow’s not the only one keeping secrets, is she?”

Robin rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Let’s go.”

“Xander’s a half-vampire, Willow’s a witch,” Rose mutters. “You’re some secret spy – and Buffy has freaky strength, what’s next? Cordelia can fly?”

“I hear she only does that on Wednesdays.” Robin jokes. “And I’m not a spy.”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly what a spy would say,” Rose says. “Let’s just get weapons okay. I want to hit something.”

“We’ll get you a nice mace,” Robin says. “I’m hoping for a javelin, myself.”

“I don’t like you,” Buffy says for the umpteenth time as they hack their way through the hellish undergrowth.

“Well, you’re not exactly my idea of a dream companion either,” Angel says tightly. He slashes at a sudden tentacle, the unseen creature screeching and skittering away. “I could have just left you in that tree.”

“I would have gotten down eventually,” Buffy snaps. She slices away at the darkness in front of her, her back pressed firmly against Angel’s. “It’s your fault I’m down here in the first place. I can’t believe you pushed me in!”

“Underground is a lot safer than being up there with the demon hordes,” Angel says. “Unless you wanted to fight off twenty hell beasts.”

“I’m the Slayer, that’s what I was made for,” she says.

“They have three heads apiece,” he says in exasperation. “You’re fast but you’re not that fast. I wouldn’t have taken them on.”

She mumbles something that sounds like “Bet I could,” and Angel smiles despite himself. In the short time he’s known her, Buffy Summers has run the gamut from wistful teenage girl to a sparking, annoying firecracker of a fighter. It reminds him of someone – and he pushes that thought away. That was another lifetime ago and he was in no hurry to revisit it. Lilith was wrong, she had to be.

“We’re looking for the source of this aberration,” he says. “It’s got to be here – if we destroy it, it’ll stop what’s happening on the surface.”

“How sure are you?” She says. “Because to me it feels like I left all my friends alone to fight the monsters.” Her voice cracks. “And my mom and Eric.”

“Buffy…” he starts, then his voice gentles. “I’m sorry.” He turns to look at her, but Buffy refuses to meet his gaze.

“Whatever,” she says. “Let’s just kill whatever needs killing and everything will go back to normal. Well, as normal as Sunnydale ever gets. Which is…not very.”

“It’s definitely not going to make any top ten lists of vacation getaways,” he says. Buffy laughs.

The tension in his shoulders suddenly feels lighter. He likes her laugh.

“I think we just barely edge out Fresno,” she says.

“I’ve been to Fresno, you don’t.”

“Hey!” And it shouldn’t feel so right to be joking at a time like this, with all the uncertainty – both above and below, but it feels natural to Angel. Too natural.

He frowns.

“When we get through this,” he says gruffly, “I’ll just need to settle some matters here and then I’m going back to LA. We won’t see each other again.”

She snorts. “Great. I’ll be sure not to write you a postcard.”

“I don’t think our paths will cross again, so –”

“I get it, Angel. If that’s even your real name, considering you’ve lied about everything else.”

The accusation stings. “When did I—”

“Going all school guidance counselor on me, in a devil’s mask ring any bells?”

“Oh,” he says. “That was reconnaissance.”

“Or being creepy,” she says. “Mysterious All-Knowing Guy.”

“I don’t know everything, Buffy. And I’m sorry for being…creepy.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I should have been upfront with you.”

“Yeah, you should have been,” Buffy says. “Look. I don’t know how long this is going to take. I’d like to think we can wrap this up by dawn and I’ll be able to get the Sunrise Special at The Pancake House, but that might just be wishful thinking.”

“After this is all over, I’ll treat you to pancakes. But not the Sunrise Special. I’m not much of a morning person.”

“You’re on.” Buffy holds out her hand, and with only the slightest hesitation, Angel shakes it.


End file.
